How charities lavish millions of taxpayer money on left-wing campaigns February 5, 2014 The government is spending millions of pounds lobbying itself and threatening the independence of charities, according to new research released today by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). The Sock Doctrine outlines how charities in receipt of government money are engaging in political activism such as campaigns to hike the price of alcohol and ban [...]
London Report: Building boost helps FTSE snap its losing streak March 17, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index snapped its longest losing streak in two and a half years yesterday as the building sector surged on a government plan to pump more cash into a scheme to boost construction. Persimmon was among top FTSE gainers, rising 3.7 per cent after chancellor George Osborne said on Sunday he would extend [...]
Eurozone confidence sneaks up despite ongoing fall in lending February 27, 2014 SENTIMENT about the Eurozone’s economies improved again during February, staying in positive territory for another month, according to a survey by the European Commission. The index edged slightly higher, up to 101.2, with any figure over 100 marking the long-term average level. In January, it stood at 101. The currency union’s business climate indicator also [...]
Britain’s real debt iceberg is getting scarily little attention March 17, 2014 WITH Budget day upon us tomorrow, we can expect to be told that we are almost half-way through the government’s planned fiscal consolidation. Politicians will talk about how they are eliminating the deficit and getting our debts under control. Yet the whole debate seems to assume that, when the deficit is finally gone, perhaps later [...]
Forget the EM crisis. Fed tapering will leave France without a paddle January 29, 2014 Emerging markets continue to feel the pain of the Federal Reserve’s taper, but trouble could be rapidly approaching for another struggling economy – France. Research by Rabobank, looking at narrowing spreads in the Eurozone periphery, concluded that economic fundamentals are set to be an increasingly important driver of capital markets as the taper progresses. And [...]
There are crucial lessons for Ed Miliband in Hollande’s defeat March 31, 2014 A DISASTER for Francois Hollande, France’s socialist president: that is the only way to describe the outcome of yesterday’s elections, which saw the centre-right sweep to power in towns and cities across the country. The one exception to the socialist meltdown was in Paris, where the leftist Anne Hidalgo grabbed 55 per cent of the [...]
Cameron is alienating his core voters without attracting new ones March 6, 2014 DAVID CAMERON has a major problem. He is alienating many of the groups that traditionally supported his party and failing to reach out to any new ones. Take the strange performance by his immigration minister James Brokenshire yesterday. He managed to blame the middle classes (a key Tory target) and business (another) for hiring immigrants, [...]
Why Labour’s flawed EU policy won’t achieve what business wants March 12, 2014 ED MILIBAND’S speech yesterday was a welcome intervention in the EU debate. But it didn’t go nearly far enough to address the deep-rooted concerns British businesses have with the EU. The Labour leader claimed the Prime Minister’s pledge to hold an In/Out referendum after renegotiation created business uncertainty. But that’s nothing compared to Miliband’s strategy, [...]
City A.M.’s bumper Budget preview March 17, 2014 As chancellor George Osborne gets ready to unveil the penultimate budget before the general election, we've pulled together all the expected announcements, and what others are hoping for. Deficit Due to the scale of the budget deficit Ernst & Young believe the chancellor has little room for manoeuvre in terms of giveaways. While the Office [...]
Eurozone QE: Why and how Draghi may pull the trigger April 14, 2014 The ECB will opt for a massive sum to force the euro down DESPITE the strongest signs yet that the European Central Bank (ECB) will act to tackle disinflation, markets remain unconvinced. ECB president Mario Draghi, speaking on Saturday, said that a continued strengthening of the euro (which the ECB believes has knocked up to [...]